The Chinese are looking forward - and to a large extent already enjoying - the benefits of Christmas in America. I mean, American toy manufacturers signed deals long ago with Chinese manufacturers to make about 90% of the toys that will be sold here during Christmas. Those sold in Wal-Mart, especially.
What a lot of my friends don't know is my experience with toymaking. My father, in his retirement, became a toymaker, selling his goods at craft shows and such. His mantra was, "A toy without a child is a sad thing."
I recall manning his booth one Saturday, and a young couple came up and began admiring the toys. They were very nice, handmade and wooden. They had a nice finish. The toys I mean, not the couple. Their question: "What do you use to finish these? Is it safe for a baby" I honestly couldn't answer them. I knew the stain used was the finest kind, but didn't know if it was safe if ingested. Both my father and I had never considered it. But after that one question, all his toys were made with an edible finish. With fava beans and a nice chianti, it was very good.
These days, I feel sorry for parents. They love their children and want them to have a happy Christmas. However, they're in a bad position: the greed of companies that manufacture and sell here in the US has led them to make toys in the cheapest of places around the world. Sometimes, these toys were made by children who themselves couldn't afford them. How sad is that?
So for Christmas, what's a parent to do? Buy made-in-China goods and risk lead poisoning for your child, or don't buy Chinese-made and risk have a very sparse Christmas.
For this, I will try to help. I'll be looking around for non-made-in-China toys and posting links here, so stay tuned.
I hope I can help make things good for the little monsters. So they can grow up to be just like you.
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2 comments:
I should launch my class action lawsuit against the likes of Mattel and others, when? Since these were all the toys my kids played with when they were growing up and now they've been classified with A.D.D and A.D.H.D., yet my son displays genius at times, like his brain is moving 10 tens faster then he can get it out.
F-ing China!!!
This is why we don't have quality jobs in America. We keep bargaining trade and giving all these other groups our money.
We gave up our independence by taking the American Family/Provider/Worker out of a job and giving it to the 30cents an hour worker. That's bullshit!
Remember when the father provided back in the 40's/50's/60's and even part of the 70's. Why? Because it allowed the women the ability to stay home and raise the kids right and kids were better off for it. This was also because WE ACTUALLY MADE PRODUCTS!!! WOW,
what a concept, huh?
American needs to standup and be counted again, it's time to take this country back to US (U.S.) funny, huh? to doing it ourselves.
Close the damn borders, stop farming out products that we can manufacturer. And most of all, put someone in office like Fred Thompson, who is for the people, by the people and still is humble and in touch with us down here on the bottom. Instead of some air head with ideas that will never pass through the idiots on the floor. Don't even get me started on Congress.
For for crap sake people, stop catering with multiple langauage signage everywhere, we are in American, ANY sign should be solely in ENGLISH!!!
You rock Harry. Great blog!!!!
Dom
Thanks for the comments, Dom. One does what one can. :-)
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